Apparatus for pleating and heattreating paper



April 16, 1957 c. e. HOCKETT 2,733,841

I APPARATUS FOR FLEATING AND HEAT-TREATING PAPER Filed June 21, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.|

' uvysfvrox. CARL G. HOCKETT BY y ' ATTORNEY April 16, 1957 c. 5. HOCKETT 2,788,841

APPARATUS FOR PLEATING AND HEAT-TREATING PAPER Filed June 21, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 k kg N 9' LI.

Q Q INVENTOR. CARL .G. HOCKETT ATTOR N EY April 16, 1957 c. e. HOCKETT APPARATUS FOR PLEATING AND HEAT-TREATING PAPER 3 Shee ts-Sheetfi Filed June 21, 1954 FIG. 6

INVENTOR. CARL G. HOCKETT ATTOR N EY United States Patent Office 2,788,841 Patented Apr. 16, 1957 APPARATUS FOR PLEATING AND HEAT- TREATING PAPER Carl G. Hockett, Uxbridge, Mass, assignor to Fram Corpiiration, Providence, R. I., a corporation of Rhode s and Application June 21, 1954, Serial No. 438,017

4 Claims. (Cl. 15430) This invention relates to apparatus for advancing, pleating, and heat-treating lengths of paper, and more particularly to improved conveying means for advancing pleated paper through an oven or heat-treating area.

It has been proposed heretofore to form filter elements of porous paper that is pleated so as to increase the amount of filter paper that can be used in a limited area.

In accordance with the present invention a continuous length of paper of the desired width and which has been treated with a resinous material is advanced in the direction of its length and is provided with transversely extending folds to produce the desired zigzag pleats. The resin-treated pleated paper is then heated to set the resin and thereby increase the stiffness and toughness of the pleated paper. The paper preferably is pleated by advancing it step by step to a pleating position, and then it is advanced through a heat-treated area or oven by employing endless chains to carry the pleated paper therethrough.

It is found that the heat applied to the paper tends to cause the pleats to shift relatively to each other, and that they do not remain uniformly spaced as they travel through the oven. This prevents the paper from being uniformly heated; for if some pleats are crowded closer together than others, those groups that are close together will be less exposed to the heat than those that are spaced further apart, and a non-uniform heat-treated paper will result.

This difiiculty is overcome in accordance with the present invention by employing endless conveyer chains for advancing the pleats through the oven and by constructing these chains so that their upper runs will be provided with uniformly spaced projections which will extend between the folded lower portions of the pleats, and thereby maintain the pleats uniformly spaced from each other during their passage through the heat-treating chamber.

The conveyer chains having the uniformly spaced projections just mentioned may be variously constructed, but very satisfactory endless chains for this purpose are formed of beaded chains having round, small metal globes connected one to another by a dumbbell-like metal element. This is found to provide a strong, durable and inexpensive chain having the desired uniformly spaced projections, with depressions therebetween in which the folds of the pleats may rest as the paper is advanced through the oven. This serves to maintain the pleats uniformly spaced during the heat treatment.

The above and other features of the present invention will be further understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with parts in section, showing the apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, with parts in section, of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, on a larger scale, is a side view of the paper advancing, and pleating mechanism of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4, on a still larger scale, is a side view, with parts in section, of the chain advancing means for conveying the pleated paper through the oven.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through a short length of bead chain having the lower edges of the pleated sheet resting thereupon.

Fig. 6 is a face view of rotating means for controlling the electrical heating elements; and

Fig. 7 is a side view and top view of a ladder type of conveyer chain which may be used in place of the bead chain shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The apparatus shown in the drawings is designed to pleat and heat-treat a number of sheets of paper 10 simultaneously, four such sheets being shown in Fig. 2. It will be understood, however, that the machine may be made wide enough to treat a much larger number of sheets 10 simultaneously if desired. These sheets 10 are pulled forward from a source of supply, not shown, such as a large roll of paper, in a right-hand direction as indicated by arrows in Figs. 1 and 2. The paper passes upwardly onto the smooth upper surface of a table 11 which is supported at the desired distance from the floor by the table legs 12, which are connected by the horizontally extending braces 13. The sheets 10 are pulled forward step by step by reciprocating feed means which is best shown in Fig. 3. This feed means comprises a bar 14 which extends across all of the paper sheets 10 that are to be advanced simultaneously to the pleating means. The lower face of this bar 14 is made rough so that it will frictionally engage the upper face of the sheets 10, the construction being such that when the feed bar is advanced in a right-hand direction, see Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, it will pull each of the sheets It} forward. To facilitate this, the bar has attached to each end thereof the oppositely extending rods 15 having secured thereto the downwardly pulling springs 16. The lower ends of these springs are anchored to the machine frame. The arrangement is such that these springs will continuously urge the feed bar 14 downwardly towards the paper sheets 10 to engage each sheet.

A back and forth movement is imparted to the feed bar 14 by the upwardly extending rocking arms 17, disposed at each side of the machine and which are pivoted adjacent their lower ends upon the pivot pins 18 secured to metal walls 19 fastened to the supporting table above mentioned. The arms 17 rock back and forth as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3, and the desired rocking movement is imparted to an arm 17, at each side of the supporting table, by a shaft 20 which extends entirely across the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 and has secured thereto adjacent each end a cam wheel 21 having formed in one face thereof a slightly off-center cam slot 22. In this slot projects a pin 23 which is rigidly secured to an intermediate portion of a rocking arm 17. The upper portion of each arm 17 is shown as having the curved slot 24, adapted to adjustably receive a bolt 25 employed to pivotally secure one end of a link 26 to the arm 17 at a desired distance from the pivotal support 18. The other end of the link 26 is secured at 27 to an end of the feed bar 14.

This construction serves to impart a back and forth movement to the bar 14. During the forward movement of such bar, it rests firmly upon the sheets of paper Iii, under the downward pull of the springs 16, to advance the paper; but during the return stroke, this bar is elevated by a lifting plate 28 adjacent each end of the bar. The shaft 20 is driven by any suitable means such as the belt 29 and motor 30, see Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and the length of strokes imparted to the bar 14 can be varied by varying the distance of the bolt 25 from the pivot pin 18.

As the paper sheets 10 of the desired width are ads in 3 he paymen bf t st ad .1 s o timed that it will move upwardly "a short distance to.

. initiate a pleat-forming fold 3in eaeh sheet ofpaper n t n. QW W e lY n im Q l a h a vanci f d bar 14. As this feed bar continues to moyetpwards the arresting bar 3 2, it presses the folded sheet 3;; against such bar to form the desired pleat Then the bar 32 is moved upwardly from its full line position of Fig. 3 to its dotted lineposition, to allow, the pleat 3 3;; just formed to pass under the bar 32; then thebar 14is moved in a tan Qi QQ a e a atq y t0. tar ano e ard ee ing. qka n th mann r he leats .3 a o d 9 1 b 91 ea h he heet t! oss h r BPPQ H ble 1 It. Qtm l t at the i s pmeating blade 31 may be omitted in pleating some types of paper. V V V The sheets of porous paper lti are pleated as just described in a continuous length, but in order to form the desired filter element a selected number of pleats, such for example as twenty, will be employed in each element. It is, h r r esir b e a srf tat the adva in pape sheets 10 ata selected distance along their length so that these perforations will indicate where the formed pleats are to be parted. To this end a reciprocating perforating bar 34 is provided which is operated periodically to perforate the paper sheets it), following a predetermined number of strokes of the feed bar 14. V

The sheets of paper 1t) should be forrnecl of paper having the desired porosity for the contemplated filter use, and these sheets are preferably treated witha resinous material 811th as a Phenol fo maldeh de e in app ie by means of a suitable carrier, such as water or alcohol. The sheets 1%) are preferably advanced to the above described pleating mechanism while in a slightly moist condition, as this will cause them to'bend-transversely more readily n a s hi hs P a tica ly r e of moi The sheets 10, before they are supplied to the apparatus shown, are preferably passed between ribbed rolls, not

shown, which will produce slightly discernible channels longitudinally of each sheet. The purpose in providing these shallow channel or air during the filtering operation along such channels, a AS s P s 3e s f un danr Pa s u er the se bar 32, they are advanced by the push of the feeding bar 14.towards the heat-treating oven 35, and a FY approach this oven, they preferably slide under the guide bars Stiwhich are preferably L -shaped in cross-section and serve to keep these pleats properly aligned as they approach the oven. The oven 35 may be o any desired length, and as shown has the upper wall 37, lower wall 38, and end walls 39. The oven is supported at the .de:

sired distance from the floor by the legs 4%, and one end are arranged in two distinct groups; one set of chains designated by 42 extend in a left-hand direction, viewing Figs. l 2, from a central driving shaft 43, and'the other set of chains 44 extend in a right-hand direction from such driving shaft. Each endless chain 42 passes around a driving pulley 45 secured on the shaft 43 These at'the other end of such chains. Each idler p ley 46 is rotatably supported at the upper end of a swinging a a an; w undrcd hs oi an inch (.01" or .02) deep, is to facilitatethe flow of oil' 47 which is pivotally supported at 48 from a fixed arm 49, arid e'ach arni'47 continuously Y urgec'fin thechziin tightening direction by a coiled spring 50. In this manner the desired amount of tension is maintained at all times on each chain 42. As the pleated sheets move along the top of the table 11 towards the feed chains 42, they slide upon a guide plate slwhich is notched as s hown in Fig. 2. These notches serve to clear the idler pulleys 46. The other set of chains 44 are maintained under the desired. tension by idler pulleys 52 supported at'the upper end of the arms 53,. which: arms are urged in the chaintighteningrdirection by thc springs 54. The chain driving shaft 43 may be driven by a motor 55 through reducing gears in the gear 'box 56 and having extended'upwardly therefrom the driving chain 57. lt is found that the two sets of paper-advancing chains; namely, set 42 extending in'a left-hand direction from the power-shaft 43, and set 44 extending in a right-hand direction from such power shalt, provide a very satisfactory, meansforad: vancing the pleateds'heets through a relatively long oven. It is also found that when one set'of chains is staggered with respect to the other, as shown in Fig, 2, the chains do not mark the paper, to any noticeable degree; whereas if one set of chains supports the pleats throughoutthei entire length of the oven, such "chains will tendto mark the lower folded dge of the pleated sheets.

T e Oven 35 ay be hea e y ny t ble means,

such as gas, heated air, or electricity; and in the constructiOn aw it is h ate by a serie of ran ersely stends e r ly eated. s. 58 d pose below he conyeyer ai s nd e c r y eat d ds. dispo e above'such chains. The heated rods, which may be of well-known constructio extend in a straight lineacrqss v W n a h miter od h s assoc ted therewith an arcuate reflector 60 adapted to direct the heat up: wa-rdly towards the pleated paper. The HPRQI rods. are o d d w h e ref e tors 6; ad p ed q i cct th he of such rods" downwardly towards the paper. It is imr t h t he ea s pp ic 'by ese rod '58 and 5 be ass r f e c n r lle s s to. Prop rly c re without over-curing the pleated paper passing through the oven.

To accomplish this, each rod 58 and 5 2 is preferably under the control of a switch that may be housed in a sec F s- Th ow 62 a e r nged alon one'side of the oven as shown in Fig. 2, and the switch 7 in ea X is u e he con r l of a melting arm. 6 which is pivoted to its bes at 64; The outer end of each arm 63 is provided with a roller 55' Extending parallel tothe group of boxes o2 shown in Fig. 2 is a power, shaft 66 which may be driyeii byfthe electric motor 5'1 and reducing gears in the gearbox 68. (lo the shaft '66. are provided pairs of semicircular segments 69 adaptcd'to control the respective rocking arms ,63. There are two.

of these segments 69 for each switch-controlled arm 63, and these se ments may be adjusted about their support ing shaft 66: so that they will form an operating surface extending through any desired angle ranging from to 366, so that as the power shaft 6d is rotated it will hOId the Switch ithin cac oa 2 clos roughout an angle of from 186 to 360 as desired, and thereby control the period during which current is supplied to each heating element 58 and 59 during a complete rotation of the sha'tj l t The conveyer chains 42 and 44 are preferably bead chains having the construction best shown in Figs. 4 and 5; and it is desirable to form such chains of stainless steel so that they will give good service in the oven ing spherical shells which are coni ected one to" the V other by a dumbbell connecting bar thi being a chains also pass around chain-tensioning idler pulleys wellknown bead chain construction] These b may be bought in long lengths, and in or rto form an endless 'chaifi 31. 4 if! lli ha is gtiary istg'cu may from the endless length of such bead chain a desired length, place the chain about the operating pulleys above described and then connect one end of the chain to another by simply pressing the lips of a sphere 70 inwardly to engage the ball-like end of an element 71. In this connection, see the left-hand ball 70 in Fig. 5, the protruding lips of which can be bent into engagement with the rod 71. Each driving pulley 45 secured to the power shaft 43 is preferably provided with an annular chainreceiving groove, the bottom of which is preferably recessed as indicated by 72 so as to form pockets that will receive the beads 70 and provide a non-slip drive between the pulleys 45 and chains 42 and 44.

The bead chains having the beads 70 slightly spaced as shown in Fig. permit the folded lower edges of the pleats 33 to enter the depressions between two beads as shown. This serves to keep the pleats uniformly spaced from each other as they are advanced through the oven; whereas if the conveyer chains did not have the spaced projections provided by the heads, the pleats 33 would be free to shift towards or from each other during the heat treatment. The head chains shown, by keeping the pleats uniformly spaced in the oven, cause the pleats to be uniformly heat-treated.

The conveyer chains having evenly spaced projections extending upwardly from their upper run are preferably bead chains, as above described, but need not be so constructed, as ladder chains such as shown in Fig. 7 may be used, and wherein the chain is formed of U-shaped wire loops 73. The ends of the wires are bent to form ..the eyelets 74 that embrace the central bar portion of the next loop 73 as shown. The upwardly projecting eyelets 74 will serve to keep the paper pleats 33 properly spaced similar to the manner in which the beads 70 perform this desirable function.

The number of pleats 33 formed per inch and the height of such pleats can be controlled by adjusting the length of the stroke of the feed bar 14 and the speed at which the chains 42 and 44 are driven by the gears in the box 56. The temperature of the electrical heating rods 58 and 59 is controlled as desired by angularly adjusting the disc segments 69 upon their operating shaft 66. The pleated, heat-cured paper strips upon leaving the oven 35 slide down the discharge board 75, at which time they may be parted from the continuous pleated sheet at the perforated lines formed by the perforating blade 34.

It will be seen from the foregoing that by employing the type of conveyer chains herein described the paper pleats will be held uniformly spaced while they pass through the heat-treating oven. This will cause the pleats to be uniformly spaced upon leaving the oven and will permit the heat of the oven to act uniformly on all of the pleats.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for advancing, pleating and heat-treating a length of paper, comprising paper-feeding means, mechanism for pleating the paper transversely of its length so as to form the pleats with sharply folded edges, a heattreating area, endless conveyer chains adapted to engage the lower sharply folded edges of the previously pleated sheet and advance the pleats through said area, and said chains having evenly spaced projections upon their upper run and adapted to enter between said pleats and restrict their relative movement as the pleats are moved by the chains through said area.

2. Apparatus for advancing, pleating and heat-treating a continuous length of paper, comprising paper-feeding means, mechanism for pleating the paper transversely of its length so as to form the pleats with sharply folded edges, 3. heat-treating oven, endless conveyer chains adapted to engage the lower sharply folded edges of the previously pleated sheet and advance the pleats through the oven, and said chains having projections that extend upwardly from their upper runs to enter between said pleats and restrict their relative movement as the pleats are moved by the chains through the oven.

3. Apparatus for advancing, pleating and heat-treating a continuous length of paper, comprising paper-feeding means, mechanism for pleating the paper transversely of its length so as to form the pleats with sharply folded edges, a heat-treating area having electrically heated rods disposed above and below the path of the pleated paper, endless conveyer chains adapted to engage the lower sharply folded edges of the pleated sheet and advance the pleats along said path, and said chains having projections that extend upwardly from their upper run to enter between said pleats and restrict their relative movement as the pleats are moved by the chains along said run.

4. Apparatus for advancing, pleating and heat-treating a length of paper, comprising paper-feeding means, mechanism for pleating the paper transversely of its length so that the pleats will extend upwardly and having sharply folded upper and lower edges, a heat-treating oven, endless conveyer chains comprising bead chains adapted to engage the lower folded edges of the pleated sheet and advance the pleats through said oven, and the beads of the chains being spaced so that said folded edges will enter the depressions between the beads and the heads will restrict the relative lateral movement of the pleats as they are advanced by the chains through the oven.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,494,642 Case et al. Jan. 17, 1950 2,547,880 Meyer et al Apr. 3, 1951 2,598,173 Humphner May 27, 1952 2,626,429 Merrill Jan. 27, 1953 

